Restaurant Diners Want Locally Sourced Natural Foods

Restaurant diners are seeking out locally sourced natural food. According to the National Restaurant Association, which surveys chefs each year for feedback on trends for the upcoming year, consumers want local, natural and organic. Locally sourced and grown foods were named in four out of the top ten trends. Also named were natural foods and sustainability with an emphasis on organic, healthy foods. Once again, concern for the environment is important. Consumers are also becoming more health conscious and educated in their food choices. Locally sourced meats, seafood and produce are in demand as people become more conscious of their health and the type of food they are purchasing and eating. This trend is not just limited to foodies. Consumers are more food savvy and are embracing the hyper-local food trend, where every part of a meal is sourced locally. Diners want to know where their food is coming from, and eating seasonally and locally keeps us close to nature. Local sourcing supports small, local farms and keeps them economically healthy, hopefully allowing for the farms to flourish and stay productive. This is one reason that ordering and embracing the local food movement is important to the restaurant industry. Another key trend

Sustainability is a key issue in food packaging. Almost 60% of consumers want their packaging to be more sustainable and 40% are willing to pay a little more in the process. (source: Asia Pulp and Paper 2013 survey) The fast food, consumer goods and beverage markets, in particular, have work to do on their sustainable packaging. Sustainability standards are measured in four areas: recyclability, compostability, recycled content, and source production. The US lags behind other countries in its recycling efforts – its recycling rate is 34.5% compared to other countries, and packaging recycling is at about 51%. Current packaging practices such as the use of black plastic and the increase in flexible packaging should be looked at, since these two packaging options are not recyclable. (Source: As You Sow & The National Resource Defense Council, Waste and Opportunity 2015) The fast food industry especially is a big user of plastic food packaging. The truth remains that the majority of fast food packaging will end up in a landfill. The industry is not doing much to solve this problem. Pressure is on to